Sunday, February 03, 2008

Japonaise Bakery & Cafe - Tustin

The storefront was nothing more than a door that led to a utilitarian room where they did the baking. Immediately as you enter, there's a tiny counter, a small glass display case, and a few measly square feet of space where you pick, pay, and get out.

There's no place to linger, sip coffee, or savor a sandwich. I've spent many a lunch hour eating Cream Pan's pastries outside, in my parked car, trying very hard to keep the crumbs from lodging themselves between the upholstery.

And then there's the odd and unpredictable operating hours. They open when they open and close whenever they feel like it.

Now, the bakery's all grown up, taking over and expanding into the vacated retail space next door. The spacious new digs -- called Japonaise Bakery & Cafe -- is a bonafide hang-out spot and long overdue. There are chairs to slouch in, tables to rest your arm on, and even a restroom for when you've had too much cappuccino (which they serve in mugs large enough to be soup bowls).

The baked goods are just as tempting as they've always been. You can tell just by looking at the sturdy, crusty gashes on the baguettes and rustic loaves that a good slather of butter is all they need. Croissants appear to be flaky enough to cause a minor crumb avalanche when bitten, while the scones seem as dense as Jessica Simpson.

But this visit was in service to our sweet tooth. The strawberry croissant was the first one we chose to call dessert. Cream Pan's signature vanilla custard and thick slices of the fruit were sandwiched between crumbly triangles of puffed pastry. Powdered sugar dust clung to it like frost, and then on our fingers.

The bulbous dome of the azuki cream was cracked open, like a hatching alien egg. But inside the spongy fried dough, there's some whipped cream and a filling of Japanese red bean. The latter had a coarse texture, similar to tiny, BB-sized kidney beans, but with twice the sweetness.

Their Boston donut had more in common to Hawaii than to the Bay State -- the thing tasted more like the malasadas cooked on The Big Island and less like a Dunkin Donut. It's chewy, salty, slightly sweet, and greaseless. Hiding inside its belly was more of that sultry custard. On top, a hard, dark-chocolate shell functioned like a skull cap.

But no trip to Cream Pan is complete without a cream pan -- basically a dinner roll akin to the Filipino pan de sal injected with custard. Best part of eating one inside Japonaise: No more crumbs on the car seat.

Now, that is the kind of place I would want to spent time chatting with girlfriends about everything and nothing at the same time! I love Japanese pastries! Do they sell cans of coffee there, too? Those are my vice!

Loved the crack about Jessica Simpson, by the way. Her "dumb girl" act annoys me. It's like she has no respect for herself or her gender.

Soccer USA! That's what was there before. I was drawing a blank. Since I'm into food, not sports, this bodes better for me.

I think the prices are a wee bit higher now. Quality's the same.

Miam Miam,

Yup. Cash only. I didn't mention that, but it's still the same. Although now that they are what they are, they'll probably wise up and get a credit card machine.

Bill,

So far, so good. The grub is the same. Actually the kitchen for the old Cream Pan is still producing the stuff. All that's different is now they have an espresso machine and more space!

Juliet,

No coffee cans. Yet. They're still figuring things out by the looks of it. They haven't even finished their sign! HAHA! And thanks for catching that Jessica Simpson slag. I have the same opinion of her as you do.

Kai,

Didn't check if they have WiFi. But then, you might not get as much studying done if they did!

I heard about the expansion when I visited last time. The owner/manager told me how this place turns into a zoo in the morning hours and how unpredictably quick the bread runs out on a busy day. Therefore the store has to close early on certain days.

Sadly, I visited Paris Baguette shortly after my visit to Cream Pan, and Paris reigns supreme. The bakery items here are bit expensive, especially when you have to pay everything in cash. But come to think of it, I did drive 30 miles just to save a dollar or two for one single bakery item. Hmmm.

I feel like we did a Monster Munching food tour last weekend with lunch starting at Dosa (which we love and had been to before) and after lunch to this bakery that my husband had been to once. Because I was super full from lunch, we ended up oggling the baked goods, watching the group of cute Japanese girls order sandwiches for lunch and then buying a big ciabatta bread for our dinner. It was delish! I can't wait to go back for something sweet and creme filled!

Glad you enjoyed Dosa! But I'm excited about the Cream Pan expansion because now there's a place to get dessert and coffee after dinner. Of course, who says you can't skip dinner altogether. Japonaise does have a few savory items.

Melissa,

Keep in mind that the flavors are subtler than most places, as Asian bakeries tend to be. They don't pile on the sugar and butter. But when they do, it's calculated, never for just the sake of doing it.

Keep in mind that the flavors are subtler than most places, as Asian bakeries tend to be. They don't pile on the sugar and butter. But when they do, it's calculated, never for just the sake of doing it.

that just convinced me more. one of the reasons I hesitated to go was because I DON'T like sweet stuff, as a rule, for a variety reasons. so "subtle" and "they don't pile on the sugar and butter" sound just GREAT to me. :D

this weekend, I'm there. they're less than a mile away, so it'll be a snap. thanks e!

Elmomonster, thanks for the heads-up ! I'd been to Cream Pan before but it'd been too long, so I checked it out the day after reading your post. Everyone there is sooo nice, super-polite it's quite a contrast to your typical retail experience nowadays, you know ? Almost a shock to the system...

The quality of every baked item is excellent here, you really can't go wrong IMO. I tried the puff pastry item with chantilly cream and adzuki beans, it was delicious ! I also tried (the next day) the orange croissant with chocolate chunks, which was also really really good. I also picked up a couple of curry pan, to accompany some soup we're having for dinner tonight - those are always great !

My one piece of advice for the proprieters - they need to work on their espresso drinks. Even though the head guy was making my cappucino and they have a nice machine and it was clear he was really trying hard to do a good job, they could use some help in this department - the espresso was way overextracted and I think they scorched the milk and stretched the foam too much. The resultant drink didn't taste that good.

I *almost* got a curry pan that day too. I really wanted one, but seeing as I just ate lunch, I had to hold back...well, actually, judging by the amount of dessert items I did eat, I wasn't really all that successful in holding back. So much for that!

I, too, hope Japonaise Bakery continues for a long time to come.

Emily,

Just for you, I'll do a post. But it'll have to wait until I do more savory foods. I've noticed I've been doing a lot of bakeries lately!

Sanford,

I've checked out your blog and I like it! Look for your link to come on my sidebar shortly. Also by the looks of it, it seems the Twin Cities also has good eats!

I had to try the noodle sandwich. It was a little sweeter and more vinegary than I expected, and I think could have used a whole hard boiled egg instead of half... definitely an interesting experience though. Has anyone had the gobo pan thing? I thought I saw bacon in there somewhere...